Well here it is the fabled meeting of Zack and Cloud. The stage has been set and my beta is tired lol. I really tried to make this a realistic as possible but I am only human and not Tetsuya Nomura so things might still get a little OOC.
A big thanks to UltimateNinjaOfDoom for your reviews and to all of you who have favorited and/or followed this story.
For those of you who like the anime, Naruto: I will be posting a yaoi fanfiction from that universe, sometime next month. It is not a AU anymore than SOLDIERs of Regeneration is and should be a Itachi/OC fanfic, (not self insert or merry sue). I will not falter with this fanfiction so don't worry about that. I'm only writing two fanfictions at once because I have way to much time on my hands and I actually keep getting to far ahead with this story. I've already got chapter five written and am half way through six. Five has just been sent off to my beta reader though so you should be seeing that in the next week or two.
Now all of you please give a big round of applause to my Beta reader DragonGirl323. She really is such a wonderful beta reader.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. (Or Fenrir unfortunately...)
So Without further ado I give you chapter four. Enjoy.
The night was silent and bore the firm cold of winter. Snow fell from heavy clouds and accumulated on the cliff like a white blanket. I'd been waiting on the cliff for an hour and Fenrir was already covered in snow. It would probably take some coxing to get him started again. My breath came out in small white puffs as I paced nervously back and forth, waiting for Reno. He had called to tell me that Reeve had given the okay for our meeting tonight. Also that he wanted to meet me at midnight to discuss my terms of employment, which still left a bad taste in my mouth. Zack was worth it though.
Shrugging my shoulders slightly to knock the snow off, I lit another of the small flame lanterns that Yuffie had let me borrow for the night, at Tifa's insistence. Even though Soldiers are able to keep warm in most cold temperatures without help, it never did well to be too cocky about one's ability to stay warm. I had learned that the hard way two months ago, as Reno had pointed out earlier this morning, when I nearly died of hypothermia in a cave one hundred miles out from Icicle Inn on my way to deliver Christmas presents.
Aerith had laughed herself silly when she found me on the brink of being in the Lifestream once again and sent me back with a jacket- don't ask me how she did that – on and some tinder for a fire. I don't think she will ever let me forget my stupidity. However, nothing rammed my stupidity home like what Tifa had done when I told her why I was late getting back. Now I never leave without that jacket and Tifa is always waiting back at the bar with some hot chocolate to warm me when I return home. The bruises faded with time. I did not mind the lanterns really. The small flames offered a fair amount of warmth and light, which was a welcome change.
Letting out a sigh, my breath disrupting the falling snow, I heard the low rumble of a motor approaching quickly. Nervously tugging on the hood of my jacket, the blond spikes beneath flattening against my head even more, as I turned my head in the direction of the approaching vehicle, causing snow to fall from the hood and onto my shoulders. Quiet cursing soon following, I brushed off the new snow as Reno pulled up on the cliff with a cheery wave. My eyes were not on the red head though. Instead they found the dark haired figure sitting behind Reno and I suddenly thought I was in the middle of a very convincing dream.
"Hey, got a delivery for ya. No need to sign. Just don't tell Reeve I'm leaving him here, yo?" Zack climbed off the bike and cuffed Reno gently on the back of the head.
With a slightly affronted, but playful voice Zack grumbled. "hey, I am not a package, Red. Now get going or you'll be late for your date."
A smile played over my face at Zack's words. He and I may not have known each other for long, but I'd say we knew each other very well and had developed a deep bond from the start. Zack had been my reason to live after mako poisoning set in and he had been my best friend before that. Seeing him here joking around like he used to made me want to pull him close and never let go again lest he disappear forever. Nervous as I was, I could feel the old sense of safety that Zack gave off wrap itself around me in an embrace.
I was pulled out of my thoughts by rumbling as Reno revved his bike slightly and prepared to take off. Shouting over the bike Reno said jovially, "He's all yours, man, and good luck. I'll be warming up with a certain bar owner in town." Flipping Zack the middle finger, he revved his bike once more and took off back towards Edge and the7th Heaven. Rolling my eyes, I let out a sigh, but my breath caught as soon as Zack's gaze fell upon mine. He looked a little lost as to what to say and nervous. Had Reno even told him it was me Zack was seeing?
Silence fell once again as the bike faded out of earshot. The only noise was our nervous shuffling and soft breathing. Doing justice to my memories, it was Zack who spoke first in a slightly strained voice. "So, Reno said you wanted to meet me here? Something about convincing you to join SOLDIER? I'll be the first to admit, though, that I'm not the best person to be convincing you to join. I've got my own reservations about it all, but I will say it's been alright so far."
By now, it was obvious Reno had not told Zack it was me he was meeting and I felt all the more awkward for it. Maybe I should just take off my hood and get it over with? No, that would just make things worse. So taking Zack's lead of the conversation, I went with it, hoping the truth of my identity would come out soon.
"I have a hard time believing that anything based off of Shinra's SOLDIER program could be nice enough to change my perspective."
Zack scratched the back of his head and then nodded sharply. "Yeah, I guess I can see the logic in that. Sure, the WRO is fighting for the restoration of our world, and it's giving a lot of people second chances, but logistically it's all the same. You go on missions and you have assigned apartments. There are first, second, and third class SOLDIERs, and you still have the horrible cafeteria food."
As he talked, I scratched the side of my head, in a calculated move, letting a few blond spikes spill out from under the hood. Sure enough, Zack's eyes flew to them and back to my deep blue eyes. His own eyes narrowed slightly. Steering the water back to our conversation I sated, "So in short SOLDIER has not really changed, just the goal and morals behind it."
Distractedly, Zack responded in a slightly mumbled voice, "well, yeah, but...if you really want to make a difference and help the planet these guys are your number one ticket. They really do have pure motives unlike Shinra's supposed pure motives. I mean, I died because of Shinra, but here I am back to life and working with the WRO. Hey, are you...did you get brought back by Aerith for the LSRP too?"
Confused, I shook my head. "No, I never made SOLDIER, so I would not qualify."
"Well, not all of us SOLDIERs were really SOLDIERs thanks to Hojo, and you look like a SOLDIER to me with those glowing eyes. You see, I lost a very dear friend two months ago, according to a few of the WRO employees. You really remind me of him...I hoped that maybe you were him and, well, he was never the best with people, but... You know what? Never mind. It does not really matter. I'm sorry for putting you on the spot like that."
My confusion abated instantly and I rolled my eyes slightly, letting out a long deep breath. "Don't believe most of what you hear from WRO gossip and only about half of what they show you. You're talking about Cloud Strife, correct?"
Zack took a few steps back and then, almost as if gathering courage, he came forward once more and nodded. "Yeah, but he is dead...right?"
Nodding slightly I took a few steps toward him, letting my hood fall back so my spikes could fall free. I could not wait and find an easy way of telling him if Zack really thought I was dead. Placing one hand on his shaking shoulder I said, "I was almost dead two months ago. However, Aerith laughed her ass off when she found me close to the Lifestream and sent me back with this jacket and some tinder for a fire." As I spoke my voice fell into a deep murmur. "I am here now and so are you. I'm so glad to see you, Zack. I just didn't.-"
My words were cut off by a yelp that resembled my name as Zack plowed into me and wrapped his arms firmly around my chest, burying his face into my newly uncovered spikes. Quickly, I shook off my surprise and returned the hug, pressing my face into his shoulder and taking in the familiar scent of my best friend.
Zack mumbled into my hair, "You really know how to surprise someone, Spiky. I missed you, man."
Gripping the back of Zack's sweater a little tighter, I nodded into his shoulder. "I missed you too, Zack. For four long years I've missed you."
Laughing breathlessly, Zack asked, "So do I still have to convince you to join the WRO? Or will you fight beside me again, Cloud? This time for a better future."
Pulling away from the hug, I looked up into his eyes and gave him a Reno worthy smirk. "Well, I promised Reeve if he let me meet and talk with you, I'd join. But now if I have to fight beside you too, I'm not so sure anymore. I might end up in more trouble than it's worth knowing the way you rush into things, pup."
Suddenly my hair was being attacked and ruffled by one of Zack's large, strong hands. A whining voice fluttered across my right ear and Zack's warm breath caused me to shiver slightly and my breath to catch. "Come on, Cloud. I'm not that bad, right? It'll be like old times, but better, yeah? Besides, Reeve is probably counting on you."
Nodding mindlessly at Zack I mumbled, "alright," and Zack nudged my ear slightly with his nose before backing away. I could not comprehend his actions or even my reactions at the moment, so instead I made my way to the cliff edge and sat down, knowing Zack would follow. A few seconds later, he did indeed sit down next to me with a large sigh of relaxation.
A comfortable silence filled the air for a moment before Zack said, "You picked a nice spot to meet up again, Spikes. It's kinda symbolic in a way that fits us. This is where I lost everything and tonight I've finally found everything again. I mean, what I said in the dream, Cloud... I have always been very proud of you. You have so much strength and I'm a little jealous, truth be told."
Heat rushed to my face and I looked away, suddenly feeling very much like the lost teenager Zack had first met. "You don't need to be, after all I get my strength from you." Looking up to meet Zack's eyes I saw a single tear slide down Zack's cheek. Reaching up, I brushed it away and said, "I meant what I said in the dream as well, you will always be dearest to me. Like an older brother I look up to and love. I'm glad to have you back, Zack."
Reaching out, Zack pulled me toward him and rested his forehead on mine like he had done in the dream. It was something purely Zack; he was always the more emotional and physical one between us and I both accepted and liked that about him. It was also something I had missed greatly. Not that I would ever mention it out loud to him. Instead I learned to just accept and enjoy it silently.
Softly Zack spoke, his breath ghosting across my face, "you know, I think we find strength in each other. Because if not for that dream I would have rotted away in my room after I got back. You gave me the strength to get up and live this life, even if I had to do it without you."
Backing away from Zack, I nodded in agreement. "I guess neither of us are really whole without the other."
Laughing, Zack nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, you got that right. Well, I hope you're ready for SOLDIER, Spikes, because it's a whole other ball park to being a grunt. We won't really have missions until the program is revealed, but expect lots of paper work. That's all I've been doing since I came out of my room. Oh, and you might want to come in a little early, before everyone is up, on your first day. If you want to arrive peacefully in any case. Because you're bound to already be an idol to the grunts and an object of fascination to the Angels."
Eyebrows furrowing, I asked with confusion, "What do you mean? I'll just another potential recruit to SOLDIER, right? I mean, Reeve would not do anything elaborate...would he?"
Zack's booming laugh once again washed over me and a smile fixed itself onto my face. "Reeve won't need to, Cloud. You're a hero and everyone knows it. Hell, you should hear most of the female Angels talk about you, and even a few of the males. You'd think you were some kind of revered God of great beauty and power. Mark my words, Cloud, you'll have a fan club by the end of the day."
Slightly mortified, I shrugged, making the newly gathered snow fall onto my already frozen hands. "You can't be serious, Zack. I'm just me and even then I'm nothing special, I just did what I had to do like anyone else would. In any case, I'm not interested in taking up a lover right now, much less start a relationship. I just got you back and my spare time is yours, Zack. Now that I'm not comatose maybe we can enjoy our brotherhood a little more this time round."
Shaking his head, Zack stood up and stretched while saying, "I'm dead serious, Cloud, so watch your back and your ass lest it get more attention than you want. I'm all for corrupting you in my puppy ways and hanging out in our spare time though. Maybe we can spare a bit?"
Standing up, I shook all the collected snow off me and smirked while gathering up the lanterns. It was almost midnight after all and I had to meet with Reeve soon. "I don't know, Zack. After all, if I'm this great being of power and beauty then who is to say I won't be the one corrupting you into more mature behavior?"
After placing the lanterns inside Fenrir's storage compartments, I turned back to Zack and chuckled slightly. His mouth was open and staring at me with a strange look in his eyes. He slowly shook his head and a small but heartwarming smile spread across his face, the one he reserved for those he cared about most. "Cloud, you really amaze me sometimes. If you think you can corrupt me then go ahead and try it, Spikes. Don't say I didn't warn you though."
Nodding, I gestured towards Fenrir. "As much as I hate to say it we need to get going, Zack. Reeve is expecting me in an hour, so we need to leave." Moving over to the motor bike, I knocked all the snow off and pulled out my keys. "You ready?"
A great sigh came from Zack and he nodded once. "Yeah, but swing by tomorrow evening if you can. I'll order pizza and we can hang out for a bit. I'm on floor 28, apartment 356 of the WRO building. They have all the SOLDIERs placed in the old executive apartments that were never really used."
Getting on Fenrir, I kick started him to life on the fifth try, then took a moment to let him warm up. I turned around as I felt Zack slide on behind me, his warmth against my back, making me shiver. Humming slightly, I nodded to him. "I don't know what will be going on tomorrow, but I promise to come by sometime tomorrow evening." Giving him a slightly mischievous grin, I said in a causal voice, "That is, if I'm not molested on my way up there and dragged off."
Grumbling slightly, Zack slid his arms around my waist and said, "Then I'll just have to go look for you and save you like a good big brother, right? Don't worry too much, Cloud. Angels are respectful in their actions, if not their words."
I smiled and squeezed Zack's joined hands with one of my own before putting it back on the handle bar and revving the engine. Giving Zack one last smile I said, "I'm sure you would come rescue me, Zack. You always do. Now hang on tight." Before he could say anything in response, Fenrir was zooming off back towards Edge and a new chapter in my life.
Well there you have it. Things really kick off from here as Cloud settles into life and more surprises are bound to come up. So stay tuned for Chapter six: Meetings and Confusing Memories. It covers a fair amount of important things even if some of them are just hints for now.
As usual I like to hear what you liked or did not like. Suggestions are welcome as well.
